Backyard Menagerie

What began as the backyard chickens project has grown! It's a Backyard Menagerie now, with the addition of bunnies and plans to add a pig and a goat.

The rabbits came to the CARES progam through our collaboration with Prospect Meadow Farm, who provided the rabbits and hutch. Caring for the bunnies has proven a popular and therapeutic activty. Students, especially younger students and those who have had little exposure to pets or small animals, learn quickly that caring for bunnies requires you to be calm, patient and gentle. After only a few months, the rabbits are seen as part of the family.

The backyard chickens project grew naturally out of our C.A.R.E.S. program and our school is now home to 6 free-range hens who get a lot of care and attention from our students and provide the school with fresh eggs, supplementing our already nutritious meals. We started hatching chicks in 2011 through a partnership with the University of Massachusetts and Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom (MAC), and in 2013 a grant from MAC allowed us to build chicken coops and pens at the school.

Through the project, students:

learn to care for living things and the earth as they learn to care for themselves.

learn principles of animal science

increase awareness of animal industry issues

develop and give presentations for students at other schools and local organizations

discover educational optons and careers in animal agriculture

learn to care for living things and the earth as they learn to care for themselves.